Music App Picker

Millions of songs in your pocket. Pick the right app.

Spotify

Free with ads, $12/mo Premium

Easiest to use. Best playlists. Most podcasts. Works on every device.

Free version is genuinely usable.

Apple Music

$11/mo, free 1-month trial

iPhone/Mac users. Tight integration with Siri. Same library as iTunes if you bought music in the past.

Family plan $17/month for 6 people.

Amazon Music

Free with Prime, $11/mo unlimited

If you have Amazon Prime, you get a smaller library FREE. Echo speakers work great with it.

Free Prime tier covers most popular songs.

Pandora

Free with ads, $5/mo ad-free, $10/mo full

Old-school radio-style. Type a song you like, get a station of similar songs. Less work for the listener.

Best for people who want music without curating.

YouTube Music

Free with ads, $11/mo

Comes with YouTube Premium ($14/mo) — ad-free YouTube + Music together.

Has obscure tracks others don't (live recordings, covers).

SiriusXM

$10-22/mo

In the car. Curated channels by genre — Howard Stern, the Beatles channel, classical, oldies.

Most new cars include 6-12 months free.

Discounts seniors miss

Spotify Premium — no specific senior plan, but the free tier is fine. Family plan ($20/month for 6) splits cheap.
Amazon Music — included free with Prime (which seniors get for $7/month on Prime Access).
Apple Music — free 1 year for college student grandkid; older relatives can join their family plan.
SiriusXM — call to renew. They almost always offer 50%+ discounts to keep you. Don\'t pay sticker price.

Where to start

If you have Amazon Prime — Amazon Music is already paid for. Open it. If you have an iPhone — try Apple Music\'s 1-month free trial. Otherwise, Spotify Free is the easiest first step.